Too expensive ........ heavy lifting ........ now let's look at things from the plant's perspective. Does anyone think the plant would prefer to cope with a soggy soil in an advanced state of decomposition, soil gases produced by anaerobic decomposition and poor gas exchange, poor drainage due to a soil with an organic fraction comprised of all fine material, compaction, poor aeration, an increased likelihood of disease/insect carryover and a probably a high level of dissolved solids because the soil couldn't be watered correctly in the growth cycle previous w/o concern for extended periods of saturation compromising root function and root health; or would it rather be in a well aerated medium that doesn't have any of the inherent issues mentioned? No one should criticize someone's decision to reuse old soil if that's what a person wants to do. If it's ok by the grower, it's ok by me, but for growers looking to offer their plants the best opportunity to realize as much of the genetic potential Mother Nature provided them with, the idea isn't a good one, no matter who might have used what /soil for what length of time; and it's really difficult to disagree with the idea there are much better ways to bring out the best in the containerized plants we nurture. Al

spiritrockjohn, Ok John, I had a closer look at what you posted and now understand your situation. I have collected the material from 10-day courses (S.N.Goenka) and know that the material is very wet compared to normal household stuff. You need to have a lot of browns - straw, leaves, sawdust, and other garden refuse to compensate. It will be a job to collect enough for your composting. Your guide of 50:50 kitchen waste to brown is too shy on browns. I am assuming that you are talking volume ratios. A better mix should aim for 60% to 70% browns by volume. The C:N ratio of 30:1 for example is based on dry weights. Your food stuffs is a lot heavier than the rice straw you are adding even without the water. As you may have found, you need to turn the pile frequently to prevent it going anaerobic. The wood chips are not going to compost very much but are a good bulking agent to aid the aerobic process. Screen the wood chips out after each batch and they can be reused. I am providing a link to compost bin construction. These bins can be made from salvaged pallets and so will be quite reasonable in price. By having a floor that is off the ground, rats should not have access to the bins. You will also have to have a lid. This bins do not keep out mice though. Some centres have composted materials; some centres have others collect it for off site composting; other centres give it to local farm families to feed pigs. Those may be some considerations if you cannot get a handle on the composting. With metta. Here is a link that might be useful: Wooden Compost Bins

The word so far is no, the bill didn't make it through Congress. Apparently not enough folks are letting their Congressmen know that this is a desirable program! Check for possible rebates through state programs (those vary -considerably- from state to state). Don't forget to check with each manufacturer for credits, discounts, or rebates. Here is a link that might be useful: 2008 energy star credits

I like the idea of making stuff out of junk - but I agree that putting it back is a horrible idea. They made a bar out of something (old console tv I think) and took it back - complete with keg fridge and tap. It looked neat (a little too gaudy to put in my own home, but it was cool) But all I could think of is what if these people are Baptists (or some other non-drinking religion) or worse, recovering alcoholics?? They know NOTHING about the people and they're spending all this time and money creating something that the people may actually HATE. It'd be better if they sold the new stuff at a flea market and just gave the old owners a snapshot of the new thing.